How the military is responding to the DOD report that military suicides continue to rise

WASHINGTON – According to a Report from the Ministry of Defense Released Thursday, there had been 523 reported U.S. military suicides in 2023, 363 of which were active-duty military personnel.

Both figures were an increase compared to 2022.

Of the suicides among active military personnel, approximately 45% were under the age of 25.

The DOD says suicide is a multi-faceted problem, but the most important factor experienced by service members who have died by suicide is relationship problems; reportedly about 44% have relationship problems.

Last year, nearly 1,400 active-duty troops attempted suicide. The Air Force reported the most suicide attempts with 436. The Navy was third with 287. The Space Force also reported three attempts.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has declared the issue a priority, and top leaders from the Defense Department and across the services have worked to develop programs to both increase mental health care for troops and strengthen education about gun safety, locks and storage .

In a statement Thursday, Austin said the new figures “urgently demonstrate the need for the Department to redouble its work in the complex areas of suicide prevention and postvention.” He said the department is taking urgent action to implement changes, adding: “There is much more work to do, and we will not give up.”

However, many of the programs DOD leaders are championing have not yet been fully implemented and the measures fall short of the more drastic gun safety measures recommended by an independent commission.

The DOD report says there are 83 support actions as part of the department’s suicide prevention efforts, with full implementation expected by 2030. These include:

Fostering a supportive environment by improving communication and providing predictable planning
Addressing stigmas and other barriers to care
Review of suicide prevention training
Improving the delivery of mental health care
Promoting a culture of lethal safety, which means safely storing firearms – which are among the leading means of military-related suicides

An independent committee recommended setting up the department early last year a range of gun safety measures to reduce the number of suicides in the military, including waiting periods for the purchase of firearms and ammunition by soldiers on military premises.

The committee said the department should raise the minimum age for military personnel to purchase guns and ammunition to 25 and require anyone living in military housing to register all privately owned firearms. In addition, the ministry said the possession and storage of privately owned firearms in military barracks and dormitories should be restricted.

In response to that report, Austin launched a new campaign to address suicides within the force, as well as within the department opted not to implement the most important firearm changes proposed by the committee.

Instead, the Pentagon said it would “incentivize” the safe storage of firearms, provide more storage locations and provide more public education about how to store guns safely — similar to steps officials have discussed in the past.

Defense officials said these changes, which include providing troops with a voucher to cover certain costs for weapons locks and storage, are in the works but have not yet been finalized. They are still working to modernize training programs to better instruct troops in the safe storage and use of weapons and to reduce the stigma of seeking mental health care.

Additionally, the military services are hiring for workforce prevention programs and as of this summer, approximately 1,000 professionals have been hired with a goal of 2,500 by 2028.

If you or someone you know needs help, you can reach the National Suicide and Crisis Helpline by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat on it 988lifeline.org.